Countertop cooking ranges of the downdraft ventilated type have been the subject of much attention heretofore. Examples of such units are shown inn the following prior art patents:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee U.S. Pat. No. Patentee ______________________________________ 3,102,533 Jenn et al. 3,756,217 Field 3,367,320 Jenn et al. 3,797,375 Cerola 3,444,805 Happel et al. 4,034,663 Jenn et al. 3,474,724 Jenn 4,335,705 Kurotaki 3,596,650 Cerola D 207,369 Field D 210,336 Jenn et al. ______________________________________
Notwithstanding an imposing body of prior art, there still exists a genuine need for improving the accessibility, performance, safety and versatility of this type of domestic cooking range.